Hibiscus
by Wynth
Summary: Ino's reason for why she fell for a man as beautiful as her flowers. He was like one to begin with... and she loved flowers. •UkiIno / AU / BLExNAR / Oneshot•


H I B I S C U S

* * *

The field was spotted with thousands of red flowers, their vibrant petals stretched and young as they tilted their head towards their sun. The yellow pollen danced in the wind as a cool breeze drifted by, carrying the minute seeds further across the vast plane of nature.

She kept twirling, blue eyes wide with delight, unable to believe exactly what she was standing amongst. With a giggle, Ino clapped her hands together, her blonde hair streaming behind as she twirled around, the ball of her feet digging softly into the fresh dirt below. "This is wonderful!" she cheered, her crystal-clear voice carrying across the vivacious red field towards the young man situated not too far from her. His white cloak contrasted sharply with the crimson surrounding him as he carefully picked two of the flowers.

Ino giggled, arms wide as she spun once more, her golden hair following her like ribbons. Feeling dizzy, she curtsied to a stop, cerulean eyes suddenly locking onto warm brown.

"I'm glad you like it," Ukitake smiled, his hair being tugged by the breeze. His locks caressed his cheeks and whipped over and around his neck.

"Like it?" she raised an eyebrow.

He laughed. "I gather I was demeaning it?"

Ino rolled her eyes playfully. "What gave you that idea?" she replied, cocking her hip to the side.

Ukitake threw his head back as he let out another guffaw, Ino joining in, but it was cut short when coarse coughs erupted from his pale lips. The blonde froze instantly, worry embedded in her eyes as she eyed him cautiously; he waved off her comforting hand. "I'm fine."

_He's frail,_ she mused to herself. _Frail like a flower. But…_

The Captain attempted to give her a smile that told her that he was alright—though she knew his chest was now likely burning from the stream of strenuous coughs—and he slowly caught her right hand in his, turning her smaller one upside down near his chest as he dropped a small red flower into her palm.

_But at the same time… so strong; strong like a flower._

His fingers curled firmly over hers—and he gently caressed hers—before he pulled his hand back and bound it around her bicep loosely, creating even patterned strokes.

Before Ino could get in a word, he moved his other hand around her right to her left, lifting it up and tucking his thumb in between her own and the index finger, another red flower captured amid the two palms; the stem of it curled around her hand and was hugging his wrist. Her lips parted as she looked into the black centre of the flower that was staring right back at her, its petals spread.

She was speechless.

She snapped out of her reverie as another breeze drifted by, bringing with it a familiar scent that she had long ago memorised. While it smelled slightly like medicine, it also had the scent of freshly mown grass and a mingle of her own. Ino focused on Ukitake, his eyes closed and his forehead pressed against her outstretched fingers, a light smile on his lips.

He looked so peaceful.

_And he's beautiful too… and smells nice; just like a flower._

Ino's lips stretched slowly before curling her fingers down over his own, careful to avoid bending the stem of the flower. "Do you know what type of flower this is?" she asked, leaning her head towards his. She watched, breathless, as his eyelids fluttered open and as his brown eyes rested solely on her; she felt like no other person existed in the world.

_And guess what?_

"No, but I think I'll find out."

"It's a Rose; Hibiscus."

"Oh?" He arched a dark eyebrow. "And what does it mean?"

She winked, sliding the stem of the other rose into the folds of his shinigami robes and putting a finger to her pink lips. "It means Delicate Beauty. So, it fits you."

"It does?" His lips stretched to a cheeky smile. Ino blushed, breaking apart from him, the rose that was sandwiched between their palms now in her slender fingers.

She didn't say anything, merely waved at her long fringe and turned, the rose field stroking her ankles and shins as she waded through. She glanced over her shoulder, an embarrassed smile gracing her lips; she turned another shade of red and looked away quickly when she caught sight of his alluring expression.

_I love flowers.

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_

_I wrote this a while ago to go with a picture I did for a contest. I don't mind it or the picture but I found this and thought, why not post it? So I did. It was a quick write._

_Please don't bag the pairing, as I kinda, sorta, like it, due to what Ino thinks here, otherwise I don't think much of it.  
_

_. I have a BLExNAR forum up. Go to my profile if you're interested in taking a look._

_. Take a look at my other BLExNAR oneshot pairings and my chapter story River of Tears._

_Please review + give support and so on! Appreciated!  
_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Naruto or Bleach._


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